{"id":77358,"date":"2024-11-21T13:01:52","date_gmt":"2024-11-21T12:01:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/visitanddo_1790.test\/?p=77358"},"modified":"2026-10-01T15:00:53","modified_gmt":"2026-10-01T13:00:53","slug":"san-agustin-street","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.visitanddo.com\/en\/san-agustin-street\/","title":{"rendered":"Calle San Agust\u00edn: a stroll through M\u00e1laga\u2019s history"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Calle San Agust\u00edn<\/strong> is a narrow, pedestrianised street in the historic centre of M\u00e1laga that connects the area around the Cathedral<\/a> with Plaza de la Merced. Despite its short length, it is home to some of the city\u2019s most significant buildings and forms part of the usual itinerary for visitors to the old town.<\/p>\n

Today it is best known for being home to the Picasso Museum Malaga<\/strong>, housed in the Buenavista Palace, but its significance extends far beyond that: within just a few metres, Roman M\u00e1laga, the post-conquest Mudejar quarter, the palaces of the Christian knights and the convent that eventually gave it its name all coexist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Calle
Calle San Agust\u00edn, right in the heart of M\u00e1laga\u2019s historic centre.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

History of Calle San Agust\u00edn<\/h2>\n

The street\u2019s layout has its roots in ancient M\u00e1laga. The area was inhabited in Roman times, when the city was called Malaca<\/strong>, and later became part of the Muslim medina, establishing itself as an administrative and commercial centre. The network of narrow, winding streets that can still be seen in this area is largely a reflection of that urban layout.<\/p>\n

After the Christian conquest of 1487<\/strong>, the street came to be known as \u201cCalle de los Caballeros\u201d<\/strong>, because numerous Christian knights settled there and built their palaces on top of the old Muslim buildings. It is this name that explains the stately appearance that several of its fa\u00e7ades still retain.<\/p>\n

This same area was also home to the Morer\u00eda<\/strong>, the area set aside for the Mudejar noble families who remained in the city after the conquest \u2014 it is said there were well over twenty \u2014 with their own baths, mosque and bakery. This little-known detail explains the continuity of the Al-Andalus urban fabric in this corner of the city centre.<\/p>\n

The current name was adopted in XVIth century<\/strong>, when a Augustinian convent<\/strong>. Over time, the confiscations and urban reforms transformed the use of many of these properties, which passed from religious hands to civil and, in some cases, cultural uses. The street even came to house M\u00e1laga City Council<\/strong> for a few years.<\/p>\n\n

What to see on Calle San Agust\u00edn<\/h2>\n\n

The Picasso Museum, M\u00e1laga, and the Buenavista Palace<\/h3>\n

The Picasso Museum Malaga<\/strong> holds the Buenavista Palace<\/strong>, a building in the XVIth century<\/strong> in the Renaissance style with Mudejar elements, in the 8 San Agust\u00edn Street<\/strong>. The museum opened in 2003<\/strong> and houses a collection dedicated to the work of Pablo Picasso, who was born in M\u00e1laga, featuring paintings, sculptures, drawings, ceramics and prints from different periods of his career.<\/p>\n

There is an additional reason to visit: during the palace\u2019s refurbishment work, the following were discovered Phoenician, Roman and Nasrid archaeological remains<\/strong> in the basement, which can now be visited within the museum itself. The visit turns out to be a dual journey: through Picasso\u2019s work and through the city\u2019s material history.<\/p>\n

If you want to complete the Picasso tour, the Picasso’s Birthplace<\/a> It\u2019s just a few minutes away, in Plaza de la Merced.<\/p>\n\n

The Church of St Augustine<\/h3>\n

It is the church after which the street is named. This church, the XVIth century<\/strong>, originally part of the Augustinian convent, is a fine example of Andalusian religious architecture and often goes unnoticed by many visitors who head straight for the museum. It\u2019s well worth a look.<\/p>\n\n

Other buildings of interest<\/h3>\n

As well as the Buenavista Palace, the street and its surroundings still feature stately homes and historic fa\u00e7ades that reflect that aristocratic past. In the number 1<\/strong> is the Mar\u00eda Auxiliadora Clinic, better known to the people of M\u00e1laga as G\u00e1lvez Clinic<\/strong>, a long-established institution in the city.<\/p>\n

The immediate surroundings round off the walk: the Church of St James<\/strong>, one of the oldest in M\u00e1laga, is just a few metres away, and the cobbled alleyways leading off San Agust\u00edn are home to caf\u00e9s, craft shops and outdoor terraces.<\/p>\n\n

How to get to Calle San Agust\u00edn<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"M\u00e1laga
M\u00e1laga Cathedral, just a few metres from Calle San Agust\u00edn.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Calle San Agust\u00edn is right in the heart of the historic centre, in a pedestrianised area, so it is not accessible by private car. It\u2019s easy to get there:<\/p>\n